Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Soon: Israeli PM Netanyahu To Address U.S. Congress; Families Of Hostages Say Netanyahu Must Take Deal On Offer; Protesters Gather In D.C. Ahead Of Netanyahu Speech; U.N.: 150,000 Palestinians Forced To Flee Khan Younis Monday; Dire Situation In Gaza, Nine Months Into Israel-Hamas War; Kamala Harris Addresses Historically Black Sorority; Netanyahu Meets House Speaker Ahead Of Speech To Congress; Biden-Netanyahu Meeting Set For Thursday In Washington; Aired 12-1:30p ET
Aired July 24, 2024 - 12:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:38]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I am Zain Asher. This is ONE WORLD.
All right. For the first time in nearly a decade, the leader of America's staunchest ally in the Middle East is set to address lawmakers on Capitol
Hill.
Benjamin Netanyahu expected to arrive on Capitol later on this hour.
And about two hours, two o'clock Eastern Time, he's going to be delivering a very high stakes speech to a joint meeting of congress. It comes at a
crucial time as the Biden administration continues to push for a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza that has already killed almost 40,000
Palestinians. That's according to Gaza's health ministry.
But also comes at a heightened moment of uncertainty in U.S. politics and as cracks between the U.S.-Israeli alliance are beginning to appear.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who would normally preside over the event, well, of course, won't be there. She has a scheduling conflict and dozens
of democratic lawmakers are also expected to boycott the prime minister's speech as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I'm not going, because Benjamin Netanyahu has led that region into a complete humanitarian disaster. He has put his own
personal interests ahead of the interests of the people of his country. And what he has done in Gaza is unspeakable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The prime minister set to meet with President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Thursday in private meetings. And former President Donald Trump
on Friday.
Let's talk more about this. We've got CNN's Alexander Marquardt in Washington. But first, I want to start with Jeremy Diamond, who's live for
us in Tel Aviv.
Jeremy, Netanyahu is taking heat on all sides. Obviously, there is a mixed reaction, especially among Democrats, especially among progressives in the
U.S. to this joint address to Congress by Netanyahu.
You've also got the families of Israeli hostages who are really angry about some of Netanyahu's policies. A lot of people are saying that they believe
that Netanyahu is putting his own personal political interests ahead of what is right for the country, especially when it comes to reaching some
sort of ceasefire deal.
Just talk to us, and not to mention by the way protests in the United States, in Washington as well. Just talk to us a bit more about the sort of
broad reaction we're seeing to this address that Netanyahu is set to give in about two hours from now.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, there's no question that they're going to be a lot of eyeballs from a lot of different
corners of both Israeli politics, American politics and really all around the world.
We're going to try and see, you know, what kind of speech the Israeli prime minister delivers here and whether or not he will address some of their
concerns.
You know, for the Israeli prime minister this is going to be an opportunity for him to both address a U.S. audience but also a domestic political
audience back in Israel, an opportunity for him to show that he still has a significant backing, significant support in the United States even at a
time when he has had this very rocky relationship with the White House over the last several months. That will be key for him to shoring up political
support in Israel.
But he -- as you said, he is also delivering the speech at a time when he could, it seems, have already dispatched his delegation to return to Doha,
Qatar to deliver the Israeli response to those negotiations. Instead, he is delaying it so that he can deliver the speech first so that he can meet
with President Biden tomorrow.
[12:05:12]
And there are major question marks about the timing of all of this, as it has seemed for several weeks now, at least, that a lot of the future of
this ceasefire negotiations ultimately rests on one key question. And that is whether or not Benjamin Netanyahu actually wants a deal.
And so there's certainly going to be a segment of the audience tonight that's going to be looking to see whether or not the Israeli Prime Minister
indicates, in any way, whether he is actually committed to that deal.
Or if, as many people in Israeli politics believed, he is instead much more focused on holding together his right-wing governing coalition. So all of
that will be key to see.
And then beyond that, of course, this is also a week where the Israeli Prime Minister is going to get the chance to kind of test the waters with
who could be the next president of the United States.
In addition to his meeting with President Biden tomorrow, he's also sitting down with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now effectively the
democratic presumptive democratic nominee.
And then on Friday morning, he's going to sit down with former President Trump, the Republican nominee. And that's going to be very important
because Netanyahu is definitely someone who is a keen observer of U.S. politics, who wants to put his finger in the air and get a sense of which
way the wind is blowing.
And what kind of president he could be dealing with come next year and the extent to which that may or may not influence his decision-making regarding
a ceasefire and regarding the future of the war in Gaza.
ASHER: All right. Jeremy, stand by.
Alex, let me bring you in because if Netanyahu, in his speech today, sort of reiterates more of what he said in the past, this idea that the war in
Gaza is going to continue until Hamas is entirely destroyed and until every last hostage has come home.
How does he get the sort of wording and the sort of temperature right in terms of how he makes those remarks, just given that the reaction to the
speech has been so mixed and he hasn't even made the speech yet?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's -- the big question now is really which direction is he going to go? I think
there's, obviously, a hope from the hostage families. And this was said earlier today by the hostage family forum that they would love to see him
stand up and say, we have struck a deal.
There's going to be a ceasefire and the hostages are coming home. But I don't think there's actually any real expectation of that.
We do know that the White House, in parallel to this speech, is going to be spending their time with Netanyahu, trying to get that deal across the
finish line.
Zain, there are all kinds of echoes of 2015. That was the last time that Netanyahu came here to Washington to give a speech. He was invited at the
behest of the Republican House speaker at the time. The Vice President was a Democrat at the time, did not attend.
(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)
Dial it back and make Israel less of a partisan issue that is certainly a hope for many Israelis and for many Democrats, because Netanyahu really has
pushed Israel more into the Republican camp.
Or will he use this speech in a way to go after the Biden administration? We saw last month, perhaps something that could be a preview of that when
Netanyahu released, in English, a video accusing the Biden administration of holding up weapon supplies -- weapons and holding up ammunition, which
was essentially false, except for one small package of 2,000-pound bombs.
So the White House is watching this very carefully to see how he tries to thread this needle.
Now, we did hear from the White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday. He said that they do not believe that this speech today
will be a repeat of 2015 that will essentially tick off the administration.
They did expect, he said, a preview of the speech and specifics. But at the same time, we know that Netanyahu is going to be working on this until the
very last minute.
So they will be watching this as closely as us. And they are well aware, as Jeremy just said, that Netanyahu, in this moment in Israel, when he is very
much under fire and his coalition is fraying, that he may use this moment to shore up that support, to shore up that coalition, maybe, in fact,
coming all the way to the U.S., giving a big speech in English, essentially, for domestic purposes.
Zain?
ASHER: All right. Alexander Marquardt, live rest there. Jeremy Diamond, thank you both so much.
All right. Many of the families of Israeli hostages, still held in Gaza, are criticizing Netanyahu's trip to the U.S. Some are saying that he should
have stayed at home in Israel to secure a deal, to bring those hostages home.
[12:10:01]
The hostages' family's forum is urging him to open his remarks to Congress with the words, there's a deal, as our Alexander Marquardt was just talking
about, but it is likely that will not be the case.
Let's bring in the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, who has taken hostage on October 7th, Moshe, Lavi, joins us now, live from Washington, D.C.
Moshe, thank you so much for being with us. I think we've spoken, you know, three or four times over the past 10 months. I always am so grateful to
have you on.
Obviously, the last 10 months have been beyond torture for the family members of hostages who have been held in Gaza, especially because there
have been a number of times where it almost feels like a deal is close, like a deal is on the horizon, just in terms of getting the hostages back
home, only to have your hopes dashed and things fall apart just at the last minute.
So you keep on being met with disappointment after disappointment. I mean, I can't even imagine how excruciating that must be.
Just walk us through what your hopes are in terms of what Netanyahu who's going to say today. And not just your hopes, but just, you know, just being
realistic what you actually expect him to say as well.
MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF HOSTAGE OMRI MIRAN: Yes. Thank you so much for having me this morning, this afternoon.
It's -- I don't expect much from him, to be honest, in this speech regarding the hostages' crisis. I think he came here with other intentions.
And as a result, the hostage crisis is not going to be at the forefront of the -- of the speech.
I do hope, however, that he will emphasize that he is committing himself, buying himself, reaffirming his commitment to the hostage deal that he and
his war cabinet proposed a few months ago. And that has been discussed and negotiated countless times. I'm very disappointed that the delegation that was supposed to go to Doha this week
will be going there only next week.
It was just announced about an hour ago, it's very disappointing to hear because it chose again that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not decisive enough
in committing to the deal that is on the table right now.
ASHER: You wrote an op-ed for "The Jerusalem Post," which I read.
One of the things you sort of said in the op-ed was, how is it possible, or isn't it sort of unfortunate, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the same man
who is now being trusted to deliver the safe return of all the hostages, is the same person that essentially failed to prevent the catastrophe of
October 7th in the first place.
And one of the things you touched on in your piece is this idea that, you know, there are a lot of people who do believe that Netanyahu has, at least
for the past several months, been putting his own political interests ahead of what is best for the hostages and what is best for their family members.
Can you expand upon that for us?
LAVI: Yes. In my op-ed, I tried and convey a message to the elected officials here in the U.S., including President Biden, who are going to
meet Netanyahu -- Prime Minister Netanyahu.
I urged them to ensure that they are holding him accountable for the failures of October 7th. And I urged them to inquire, whether the delays in
-- coming to an agreement with the other relevant parties in the negotiations is for political considerations or for other considerations.
I'm sure there are so many other interests that needs to be discussed, and there are security concerns. And there is no doubt that Hamas is, in my --
in my opinion, opinion of many, is not a good faith partner, should not be trusted, and has caused so much damage and pain to both Israelis and
Palestinians.
But at the same time, we need to see whether it can agree to the current proposal that is on the table.
Now, I want the elected officials in the U.S. to push him to agree to that as much as they can.
The Israeli public supports the deal. Supports -- overwhelming supports the deal, or at least implementation of the first phase. And after that, we can
see whether Hamas is going to carry on with the rest of the phases or not.
And so we need to make sure that the entire public in Israel is being supported, both by elected officials here, and also by the Jewish
organizations in this country. That's what my peace try to convey.
ASHER: Mm-hmm.
LAVI: And I still believe Prime Minister Netanyahu put the interests of the country and the interests of his citizens above any other interests. But I
want to see a deal struck as soon as possible.
[12:15:04]
ASHER: As do a lot of people in your position. One of the things that I think is concerning a lot of people is that, you know, the landscape, just
in terms of where we are in the world, has changed dramatically over the past 10 months.
I mean, you think about the fact that just 10 days ago, a former U.S. president survived an attempted assassination. You've also got the
president of this country saying that he's not running for reelection. I mean, these are monumental times in terms of the U.S. political landscape.
Do you worry that the hostage crisis is just simply not as much of a priority for the world as it was just even six months ago?
LAVI: Yes. As you pointed out, and I think it was Vladimir Lenin who said decades where nothing happened and weeks where decades happened.
ASHER: Mm-hmm.
LAVI: And that's what we've been experiencing over the past few weeks. I am here in the U.S. and generally in the world. I'm very concerned that the
hostage crisis is not on the top of the priority.
I understand that there are other interests. And, of course, the overall battle Israel needs to confront with Iran and its proxies across the Middle
East from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, militias in Syria, and Iraq, all of them are targeting Israel. and all of them are sadly being supported by
Iran and by its military apparatus.
But the issue of it -- we could focus on that alongside the U.S., no matter who is going to rule this country after the elections, only if we'll bring
the hostages home and be able to put an end to what is going on right now on Israel-Gaza border and the Gaza Strip, and, of course in the Northwest
Negev in Israel.
So I hope that the issue of the hostage will remain on the top of their agenda of policy measures. And President Biden said this week that he wants
his legacy the last six months of his -- of his presidency to be an end to the war, bringing home the hostages, and finding a path to a long-term
solution to the agony that is being felt across the Middle East.
And I hope that this will be successful and that will celebrate the return of Omriand the return of all the hostages. And then start healing as a
society, healing as a region, despite all the agitation that is in our region, despite all the agitators as well here in the U.S.
You can see some of them on the streets in Washington, D.C. today, calling -- praising Hamas, calling for the murder of Jews, exercising their freedom
of speech in this country in order to shout hateful speech towards us, families of hostages and towards the entire Jewish population in this
country.
ASHER: Moshe Lavi, we have to leave it there. But just to say, as always, we really appreciate you coming on the show and just on your brother-in-
law's behalf. Thank you so much for the tireless amount of work you are doing constantly.
I mean, you're always working on behalf of your brother-in-law. I'm sure that if you could see it, he would absolutely be so touched and so honored.
Moshe Lavi, thank you so much. Good luck.
All right. CNN has brand-new polling on the rapidly changing presidential race.
For weeks, many Democrats called for Joe Biden to drop out of the race for president, because they said that he could not beat Donald Trump.
Now, the new CNN poll of registered voters finds no clear leader in the Harris-Trump matchup back in April and June.
Surveys of the same set of voters found Biden trailing by six points. The poll also found overwhelming support for Biden's decision to exit the race.
Almost nine in ten voters saying that they approve of the decision.
Let's bring in CNN's Jeff Zeleny with more.
So let's talk about this poll that sort of shows where things stand in a match-up between Harris and Trump.
Trump ever so slightly ahead, but it's pretty much neck-and-neck.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF UNITED STATES NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, this is within the margin of error, so we call that too close to call. This
is not a sense where Donald Trump is leading in any way, or Kamala Harris is leading.
But, Zain, what this really shows is this is indeed going to be an entirely different race. When you look below the numbers, beneath the numbers there,
there are some changes for Vice President Harris.
And there is certainly a new sense of optimism and energy. We've seen that in fundraising. But when you look a little bit deeper into this new poll,
let's take a look at the feelings of registered voters when asked about Biden's decision to end this campaign.
Look at these numbers. Fifty-eight percent say they were relieved. Thirty- seven percent say hopeful, surprised, 28 percent, worried, 20 percent. And disappointed only 13 percent.
[12:20:06]
So that really underscores really the Democratic mood going into this decision and how President Biden was increasingly alone on an island there
when 6 in 10 voters say they were relieved about his decision to step aside.
When you look again, a little bit deeper into these numbers here, does -- the Harris supporters, who would your vote be? More for Harris or for -- or
against Donald Trump? This is also significant.
This is a higher number for Vice President Harris. It has been long, just a reality inside this campaign that even many Biden supporters were voting
against Donald Trump.
Now we're seeing more of these Harris voters saying that they would be voting for Harris in affirmative votes. So what that means is it's a more
of a positive feeling for Vice President Harris going into this.
So what we do not know is how much the battleground map has changed.
The Harris campaign believes that it sort of goes back to the drawing board, if you will, that the Rust Belt states, we talked so much about
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, certainly important, but they also believe Vice President Harris puts into play and makes more competitive
states in the south, like North Carolina, Georgia, even Arizona and Nevada.
So, Zain, we have a new race on our hands here and we will have to just look at these polls as they come in. This is an early snapshot of this new
race.
ASHER: I mean, it's interesting because I guess up until last weekend, we saw so much division within the Democratic Party. I mean, the party was an
utter disarray. There was absolutely a lack of enthusiasm --
ZELENY: Right.
ASHER: -- after Joe Biden's debate performance. A lot of people -- a lot of Democrats who had voted for Biden had simply said that they weren't going
to vote in the next election, which is catastrophic for Democrats.
Just walk us through how much that has changed since the announcement begun over the weekend.
ZELENY: Look, the incitement and enthusiasm has long been on the Republican side. We saw the unity at the Republican National Convention last week in
Milwaukee.
But the Democratic enthusiasm has really changed dramatically, at least in the short term, in the last 48 hours. But when you take a look at these
numbers in the poll as well, democratic -- and democratic-leaning voters, does Harris have a good chance to beat Donald Trump? Seventy-five percent
say yes. Only 25 percent say no.
That number was beginning to change dramatically since that CNN debate last month. Even Democratic voters were beginning to believe that they had no
chance. They had no chance at all.
So what Democrats look at these numbers as a sign of hope, a sign of optimism.Tthat is one of the reasons you're seeing more volunteers come in,
more money being sent in.
But then again, the bottom line to all of this, this is going to be an incredibly close race. The race to define Vice President Harris as well
underway.
We'll have to be patient and see how these numbers and how this new race settles in, but there is no doubt. One thing we do know, it is a new race.
Zain?
ASHER: All right. Jeff Zeleny live for us there. Thank you so much.
ZELENY: Sure.
ASHER: All right. Though the past 48 hours have seen Kamala Harris grab the attention of the U.S. political world, Joe Biden returns center stage later
on Thursday. In a prime time address from the Oval Office, he'll make his first public appearance since announcing his withdrawal from the
presidential race.
Meantime, Harris has met with enthusiastic support as she ventures onto the campaign trail. She is in Indiana right now at an event for black women.
On Tuesday, she gave a high energy speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, delivering attacks on Donald Trump that had Democrats cheering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda, will we
weaken the middle class.
America has tried these failed economic policies before, but we are not going back.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Speaking of going back, coming up, we go back to Capitol Hill, where people are gathering and protest of Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress. We'll have much more on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:53]
ASHER: All right. The Israeli Prime Minister is set for a less than warm welcome as he heads to Capitol Hill for today's speech to Congress.
Hundreds of protesters are gathering there, as I speak. It comes as talks on Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages loom over Mr. Netanyahu's
visit to Washington.
Earlier, police intervened in a scuffle between pro-Palestinian and pro- Israeli demonstrators.
I want to bring in CNN's Tom Foreman joining us live now from Washington.
So, Tom, a lot of people here are calling not just for the end to the war in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire, but also on top of that, calling for the
end of U.S. shipment of arms to Israel as well. Take us through it.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And there are people here calling for the release of the hostages as well. I mean, pretty much every view you
could see is being represented in these protests. They promised a day of rage, basically, as people have convened on the city from far and wide.
These protests are being kept a bit apart by authorities. They're kind of trying to cordon them off from each other so that this group doesn't
overlap with that group as you saw a moment ago there.
And we're unsure what the count is here, but this started on Monday when Netanyahu showed up here. There were protests outside of his hotel.
Yesterday, a couple hundred, maybe more, were arrested inside one of the buildings where the lawmakers here have their offices. They were pounding
on doors and shouting, and then they had sort of a sit-in protest here.
The bottom line is, these protesters want to make sure that Netanyahu and U.S. lawmakers are aware of their presence and their interest in this
matter.
Now, how big the protests will be today, how much impact they will have, we don't know, but they're making a point to be heard. And there's even a
discussion among many of them about whether or not they can make some kind of a display in the chamber when he speaks.
For now, there are barricades up around the Capitol and increased police presence. A couple hundred police even brought in from New York to make
sure they have enough to handle the crowd.
And, of course, after the attack on January 6, you know, a couple of years ago, there's been even more emphasis on the notion of keeping control of
crowd before things get out of hand.
A lot of very fervent voices here at the end of what has already been a very turbulent couple of weeks here in Washington.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's interesting. This is the fourth time that Netanyahu has addressed Congress. And in addition to the sort of protests
that we're seeing on the streets outside, we're also seeing silent protests inside the chamber. And that's because a lot of democratic lawmakers are
choosing actually to sit this one out, to actually not attend.
Tom Foreman, I do believe we have to leave it there, if I heard my producer correctly. Thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
FOREMAN: You're welcome.
All right. Farnoush Amiri is a congressional reporter for the "Associated Press." She joins us live now from Capitol Hill.
So, Farnoush, thank you so much for being with us. I was just mentioning to our reporter, Tom Foreman, there that there are, in addition to protests
happening outside, what you're seeing inside the chamber is actually equally as interesting, because you've got a lot of democratic lawmakers
who are saying, you know what, I'm not going to show up today.
[12:30:00]
You've got Nancy Pelosi, for example. Obviously, Vice President Kamala Harris had another event. She's on the campaign trail. She's going to be in
Indianapolis.
But the fact that she is not there, yes, it was a sort of a pre -scheduled alternate event because she's now on the campaign trail.
But how much should we be reading into her absence, if anything at all?
FARNOUSH AMIRI, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Yes. No, definitely. I mean, what the visible absences are going to be the most
remarkable thing about today.
You know, a lot of people upon Netanyahu being invited last month have started to make the, you know, very accurate and parallel, you know,
comparisons to the last time he was here in 2015, not at the behest of a, you know, the democratic president at the time or the democratic majority -
- the democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at the time, it was once again at the behest of Republicans who wanted to come and make a political move and show
their support with Israel in a way that they believe that Democrats aren't. And what we're seeing now is a extremely heightened version of that.
Because in 2015, 60 Democrats, including, you know, from the Senate and the House protested, we are expecting upwards of 80 and even more. And but as
you mentioned, it's not even the numbers. It's who is visibly not going to be there. The vice president's not going to be sitting behind as she does
in previous heads of state addresses and neither will be the second, you know, ranking Democrat underneath her, Patty Murray. She is declined.
So it is really, really interesting to see what that crowd is going to look like today.
ASHER: Yes. And I also think it's interesting. I mean, it's, yes, obviously, a lot of democratic lawmakers are protesting Israel's policies
in Gaza. They want the war to end. And a lot of them obviously have a lot of sympathy and compassion for the plight of the Palestinians, 40,000
Palestinians are dead since October 7th.
But also on top of that, a lot of people who do support the war that Israel is conducting in Gaza are protesting because they do not support Netanyahu.
So it's Netanyahu specifically for some democratic lawmakers.
Talk to us about that. Yeah. No. I mean, that has been one of the more important distinctions that members who -- you know, Democratic members who
have been historically over their 10, 20, 30, 40-year political career, staunch advocates of the state of Israel.
And I think that Netanyahu represents to them as far as what my sources have said and what members have said publicly, you know, an obstacle to
what they are trying to achieve, to what the Biden administration is trying to achieve, to what Obama, prior to Biden, was trying to achieve as far as
peace in the Middle East.
They see Netanyahu as a, you know, an -- like an antagonist in this -- in this scenario. And they see him standing on in the way of a ceasefire deal
as we speak.
You know, as you guys mentioned, you know, he's delayed. His counterparts to go and broker the deal with the other Arab nations. You know, there's
frustration among hostage families.
I just left an alternative plan where more than 60 Democrats had brought hostage families who, you know, their message to Netanyahu is, is why are
you here? Why are you not focusing on bringing our families back home?
And you'll see, as your colleagues have mentioned, that is also the rhetoric that's happening in Israel.
ASHER: Yes. I was actually speaking with one -- with one of our reporters earlier on the show about that, this idea that he's facing protests in
Washington, D.C. He's facing a mixed reaction from Congress. He's also facing anger among the family members of Israeli hostages. I mean, the list
goes on.
Farnoush Amiri live for us there. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
AMIRI: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. The director of the FBI is shedding new light on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Christopher Wray has been
testifying before House lawmakers about the investigation into the shooting and other matters at the Bureau as well.
He told the panel that the would-be assassin flew a drone over the rally area in a town of Butler, Pennsylvania, a couple of hours before the
shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: Around 3.50 P.M., four o'clock, in that window, on the day of the shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone
around the area.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Two hours.
WRAY: It's about 11 -- I want to be clear, but when I say the area, not over the stage and that part of the area itself, I would say about 200
yards give or take away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Wray also said investigators found two explosives in the shooter's car, but that the receivers that would have triggered them were actually
turned off.
All right. Still to come, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza forced to flee again as Israel conducts military operations in Khan Younis for a third
day.
We'll speak with an NGO about the dire situation on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:37]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
Less than two hours from now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the U.S. Congress for record, fourth time. His visit was
orchestrated by Republican leaders.
Many lawmakers on the other side of the aisle say they will not attend his speech in protest of the war in Gaza.
Here's what Senator Bernie Sanders had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Frankly, this invitation to Netanyahu is a disgrace and something that we will look back on with regret.
I hope that for one second, the members who attend will focus just for a second on the starving children in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: For now, no signs of things getting any better for civilians in Gaza, as Bernie Sanders was just saying there. The U.N. says about 150,000
people fled the city of Khan Younis on Monday alone after the Israeli military ordered them to evacuate. The IDF says it's targeting terrorists
there.
CNN's Nada Bashir has the story. And we want to warn you that her report does contain some very graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Forced to flee once again, to yet more uncertainty.
Whole families carrying whatever belongings they still have. Order to evacuate Eastern Khan Younis by the Israeli military.
(SCREAMS AND GUNSHOTS)
[12:40:08]
The sound of gunfire sending women and children running to safety, but there is nowhere left to take refuge.
It all happened suddenly, Mohammad Abdul-Jawad says. They told us to go to the safe area, but there is nowhere safe left in Gaza. We have to leave all
our belongings and our tents. Where do we go now?
The Israeli military says it is targeting Hamas infrastructure in Khan Younis. Claiming its forces have targeted weapons, storage facilities,
observation posts, and underground tunnel routes in the area.
As a result, civilians have been warned to move to a readjusted and more restricted humanitarian zone in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi.
But such humanitarian zones have themselves become targets in the past. And Israel's promise of safety means little to those who have already suffered
so much.
I didn't know want to leave, but when the warplanes and tanks started striking us, I was scared for my four children, Um Hazem says. Where should
I take them now?
For some here in Gaza, there is also growing frustration with Hamas.
We've had enough, we're exhausted, Riham says. Look at what they're doing to us. We're being destroyed. They're all hiding underground and have left
us to be destroyed.
In Central Gaza, meanwhile, there is only more devastation. Wounded civilians will rush to the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital on Tuesday, following
a deadly strike.
A familiar scene of panic and chaos in the overrun hospital. As the injured are treated on the ground and the dead are covered in makeshift shrouds.
Since Monday, Gaza's health ministry says more than 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire.
A gut-wrenching figure, but only a fraction of the more than 39,000 people killed in just under 10 months of unending horror in Gaza.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Alright. Time now for The Exchange. And we do want to take a closer look at the appalling suffering that is still happening right now in Gaza 10 months
since the war began.
Joining me live now is Scott Paul. He's Oxfam's Associate Director of Peace and Security. He joins us live now from Washington, D.C.
Scott, thank you so much for being with us.
So we started off this program today talking about Netanyahu's address to Congress and also the fact that there are a lot of people who are
protesting it. And I think it's really important to remind people why they're protesting.
To sort of talk about what is happening on the ground in Gaza right now, roughly around 40,000 Palestinians have been killed. The U.N. estimates
that 100,000 -- 150,000 people fled Khan Younis on Monday alone, 150,000 people forced to flee on just one day alone on Monday.
And it's important, as Nada mentioned in her piece, to note that these people have literally nowhere to go.
We've said that a number of times on this program that there's simply nowhere for them to take refuge.
Talk to us a little bit more about what is happening on the ground in the enclave.
SCOTT PAUL, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR PEACE AND SECURITY, OXFAM: Well, you mentioned in this program that the safe zones in Gaza aren't safe.
And I want to add to that by emphasizing that the humanitarian zones, which is another name that is being used for these areas, are not humanitarian.
In the sense that people who arrive in these places expecting to find shelter, expecting to find food, expecting to find water, find that none of
these basic services and support systems are available.
I know I have colleagues themselves who are aid workers, who work with Oxfam and our partners, who wake up every day in the morning, try to figure
out how to work this labyrinth in system of managing and controlling aid that the government of Israel has set up.
All the while, they're trying to keep their children safe and figure out which of the unsafe areas are the best to base themselves in. It's an
unacceptable situation.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, talk to us a little bit more about -- I mean, obviously, there's very little aid trickling through, but of the aid that
does actually manage to make it. Just talk to us about how difficult it is to distribute that aid when you have 150,000 people being forced to flee in
just one day. It makes the operation that much more complicated.
PAUL: Yes. One of the -- one of the challenges is figuring out where people are going to be and where people are going to need assistance. But that
really only tells one part of the story.
Oxfam recently did a piece of analysis to figure out how much water people in Gaza actually have and why that was the case.
[12:45:05]
And what we found, up until the end of May, and the figures haven't changed since then, is that the amount of water produced and available in Gaza is
less than five liters per day per person.
So every person in Gaza, if they were able to access the system, could get a little less than one flush of a toilet for their drinking --
ASHER: Gosh.
PAUL: -- for their bathing, for cleaning dishes, and for cleaning clothes.
And so, you know, then you talk about this shrinking humanitarian zone. If a million people end up there, which is, I understand the design, after all
these evacuation orders, we'd be looking at by far the most densely populated settlement of displaced people in the world, and people there
would have actually access to half of that. This is a fraction of what's available, even the most severe droughts anywhere in the world.
ASHER: As you were speaking just a moment ago, we were actually seeing these heartbreaking scenes in Gaza, or people literally clamoring for food.
I'm not sure if our producers can pull up those images again. It's just heartbreaking. People -- there we have it. People with their pots and their
bowls and their plates, just trying to get a little bit of food for the day.
As I understand it, there are no vegetables available. There's barely any fruit, as I understand it. There's barely any meat. People are literally
talking about eating two meals a day if they are lucky. If they are lucky. And obviously, these are not nutriently (ph) dense meals. Two meals a day,
if they're lucky. A lot of people are going on one meal a day.
Talk to us a little bit more about what people in Gaza are actually eating, just based on what you know.
PAUL: Well, it's hard to make generalizations about what's available across the Gaza Strip.
But let me start with a very simple one. People are starving and dying. Children are dying of starvation in every part of the Gaza Strip.
And that's why the technical body that assesses hunger and food insecurity now assesses that every part of the Gaza Strip is at risk of famine, high
risk of famine.
People there cannot afford a single other shock because people are already -- people are already dying.
And again, this is taking place in an environment where water is unavailable. When famine does happen, you know, most people don't die of
starvation.
A lot of people die of malnutrition-related illness and waterborne disease, you know.
And at this point, following the devastation of the water system, people in Gaza have already had -- more than one out of every three people in Gaza
has already had a severe respiratory illness. These are the sorts of things that kill people when there isn't enough food.
ASHER: I mean, it's beyond heart-breaking, isn't it? I mean, and then when you add to that, just the fact that it is that much more difficult for aid
agencies to distribute food, especially because there really isn't enough fuel, right?
The aid agencies rely on fuel in order to get food to the sort of remote parts of the enclave. And if they don't have enough fuel, that makes those
parts of the operations that much more difficult.
Scott Paul, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us today. We appreciate it. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:55]
ASHER: All right. The Paris Olympics gets underway this week. And among 10,000 or so competitors will be there, is perhaps the greatest female
athlete alive today. Faith Kipyegon, who has taken distance running to a new level. She's won Olympic gold, multiple world championships gold and
shattered world records.
OK. I'm just being told that Kamala Harris is speaking in Indianapolis at a sorority event. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Good afternoon. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. Please have a seat. Good afternoon.
I was just saying to your most glorious President, Stacey NC Grant, she and I talked about this visit months ago, sitting together having a meeting in
the Oval Office. And we were -- and she invited me then to attend today.
And I just want to -- if I can, I just want to thank you in front of all of the sisters who are here.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
She has provided years of support and friendship and she always -- like everyone here knows, she always shows up. And I'm so, so deeply grateful.
Thank you.
And to everyone here, it is so good to be with you. To the former presidents who are in attendance, to the International Board of Directors
and to all of the fine members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It is my great, great honor to be with you today. And I love you back. And also, on Air Force 2, joining me is Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove.
(CHEERS)
And I know here is also our dearest Mrs. Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth.
(CHEERS)
And to all of the distinguished ladies, I thank you so very much for this warm welcome.
And I will begin by saying a few words about our President Joe Biden. So, tonight -- yes. Thank you. Yes.
So tonight, our president will address the nation about his decision to step down as a candidate and he will talk about, not only the work, the
extraordinary work that he has accomplished, but about his work in the next six months.
And so before he does, and while I'm here with you, I want to just share with you a little bit about him based on what I know, based on personal
experience. Joe Biden is a leader with bold vision. He cares about the future. He thinks about the future. He has extraordinary determination and
profound compassion for the people of our country.
And I say that because I know that we are all deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And to the sisters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, I thank you for your incredible service to our nation as well.
You know, I know who we all are. I know who is here. And I know therefore that we share a vision for the future of our nation. A future where every
person has the opportunity, not just to get by, but to get ahead.
A future of social justice, health justice, economic justice, just as you have laid out in this year's theme. Ours is a vision of a future in which
we realize the promise of America. And I deeply believe in the promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice, not for some, but
for all.
[12:55:28]
And for generations, the finer women of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated have fought to build that brighter future.
During the Civil Rights Movement, you marched for voting rights, economic justice, and an end to segregation.
For more than 50 years, you have worked with the March of Dimes to lift up the urgent issue of maternal health.
And from the 1980s, you inaugurated Zeta Days. And I will tell you, when I was the United States Senator, I would see this group of powerful leaders
walking through the halls of Congress in white and blue.
And I always knew I was looking at some of the most powerful advocates for justice in America. Truly.
And, of course, your leadership continued in 2020 when during the height of a pandemic, you helped elect Joe Biden President of the United States, and
me as the first woman Vice President of the United States. And I thank you.
And now, in this moment, our nation needs your leadership once again.
In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past.
And with your support, I am fighting for our nation's future. And let us be clear about what that future looks like. I know the leaders in this room.
And I know the future we believe in and we fight for.
We here believe in a future where, for example, everyone has affordable health care, which is why our administration capped the cost of insulin for
our seniors at $35 a month.
We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, which is why I helped pass the child tax credit, which cut child poverty in half,
and cut black child poverty even more.
We believe in a future where the economy works for working people. That is why we forgave student loan debt for more than five million Americans.
(CHEERS)
And if you are anyone who no benefitted from that, please testify.
(LAUGHS)
And we are finally making it so that medical debt can no longer be used against your credit score.
(CHEERS)
And it is because of our collective vision for the future that we continue to fight for affordable child care, affordable elder care, and paid family
leave.
We here believe in a future where all women and all mothers are safe. That is why, as Vice President, I have elevated and took on the issue of
maternal mortality, knowing that women in America die at a higher rate in connection with childbirth than women in any other wealthy nation in the
world.
And black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth. And for too long, this has been a crisis in our country, and it
is time that we recognize the crisis it is.
In fact, when I took office, I challenged every state in our nation on this issue. Because you see, I said, look, we need to extend Medicaid postpartum
coverage from a measly two months to a full year.
[13:00:03]
And I'm proud to report, whereas when I issued the challenge, only three states offered a full year of coverage, now 46 states do.
(CHEERS)
So I say as we work to build a brighter future and to move our nation forward, we must also recognize there are those who are trying to take us
backward. You may have seen their agenda. Part of it is called Project 2025.
Now can you believe they put that in writing? Nine hundred pages of it. Project 2025. A plan to return America to a dark past. They intend to cut
Medicare, to repeal our $35 cap on insulin, to eliminate the Department of Education, to end programs like Head Start, which would take away preschool
for hundreds of thousands of children in our communities.
Let's be clear. This represents an outright attack on our children, our families, and our future. These extremists want to take us back, but we are
not going back. We are not going back.
Ours is a fight for the future. And ours is a fight for freedom. Across our nation, we are witnessing a full on assault on hard fought, hard won
freedoms and rights. The freedom to vote. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to live without fear of bigotry and hate.
(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)
The freedom to learn and acknowledge our true and full history and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her
government telling her what to do.
And in the face of these attacks, we must continue to stand together in defensive freedom. We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will make
sure then that every American has the ability to cast their ballot and have it counted.
We who believe --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. You've been just listening to Kamala Harris in Indianapolis.
I want to turn now to Capitol Hill where Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister speaking alongside the House Speaker. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Today, the Israeli people are working to defeat Hamas following, of course, the horrific massacre on October 7th. They're
having to ward off Hezbollah in the north. They're having to respond to Houthi attacks in Tel Aviv and they fended off a historic watershed direct
attack from Iran itself, a regime that is allied with Russia and China.
The threats Israel faces are not only kinetic. Jerusalem is also combating law fair and information wars and double standards from the U.N. and the
media.
Today and every day, Americans must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel in its great struggle.
In this struggle, nearly 300 days after October 7th, our hearts remain with the 120 men and women, boys and girls who are still in captivity in Gaza.
Edan, Itai, Sagui, Hersh, Gadi (ph), Judy, Omer, Keith, and so many others are being held deep in tunnels. We have not forgotten them or their
families who so desperately want them home. And we of course do as well.
Israel and the United States are united in our mission to bring them home. And I have full confidence that we will do just that.
I have to say it's providential that the Prime Minister is here today after the 17th of Tammuz. It was nearly 2,000 years ago that the most powerful
nation in the ancient world laid siege to Israel and destroyed Solomon's temple.
But today, the most powerful nation in the modern world is standing with our Jewish friends and the Israeli government.
I'm certainly eager as we all are to hear from the Prime Minister. And as we hope that this 17th of Tammuz marks the last time, the Jewish people
lament destruction so that they can live freely and securely in their ancestral homeland.
I would defer to the Prime Minister and your remarks.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker Johnson, you have shown great leadership, along with the leaders of the Senate and the minority leader in the House.
[13:05:02]
I appreciate the fact that you've invited me to address this great assembly, the world's greatest democracy.
The Congress of the United States speaks for the American people and the American people speak for the entire world. I very much value this
opportunity to address this august forum. You said that just now something that resonates throughout the ages.
Almost 2,000 years ago, the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem, on this day. Almost 2,000 years ago.
Well, our enemies will not breach our walls today. And our wall is not made up only of our own soldiers, our brave heroes, but also the friendship and
alliance with the great United States of America.
That is very much expressed here today. And I thank you for giving me this opportunity. And the people of Israel, thank you for giving us this
opportunity --
JOHNSON: Thank you.
NETANYAHU: -- to express our common alliance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
JOHNSON: Thank you so much. Thank you.
(CHATTER)
ASHER: All right. You were just listening to a live address by Prime Minister Netanyahu and House Speaker Mike Johnson. As you saw there, they
weren't taking any questions.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu is in the United States right now to address the joint session of Congress in about 50 or so minutes from now, trying to
really shore up support for the war in Gaza.
Obviously, there has been so much controversy surrounding this visit. There have been protests outside and actually a lot of democratic lawmakers who
are boycotting his speech because they are appalled at the level of suffering happening inside Gaza right now.
I do want to bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann and Jeremy Diamond joining us live now from Tel Aviv.
Jeremy, let me start with you. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke very briefly there. We know that this is the fourth time. That's historic, by the way,
the fourth time that he has addressed Congress in the United States.
I think that one thing that is very interesting is that this comes at a very turbulent time, not just for Israeli politics, but also for U.S.
politics as well.
The fact that you had one former president survive an assassination attempt just about 10 days ago. And on top of that, the current president is simply
not running for reelection.
Just talk to us about how that has caused a lot of division, uncertainty, especially when it comes to what prime minister -- what potential -- what
Kamala Harris' policies when it comes to Israel will be. What more do we know on that front?
DIAMOND: Yes. And I mean, it really is so many different factors coming together all at once, converging all at once.
You think first about the relationship between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu, already a rocky relationship, one that has
significantly soured over the course of the last several months as President Biden has become more critical of Israel's conduct in Gaza. The
Israeli Prime Minister, more often than not, thumbing his nose at that criticism from the White House.
But now, in addition to that, you now have President Biden effectively a lame duck president, but also a president who is now squarely focused on
his legacy and who has made very clear that one of the legacy items that he would like to achieve is the end of this war in Gaza.
And if possible, being able to bring about some kind of broader peace in the Middle East. And so this is a man who is now effectively untethered
from the constraints of electoral politics will be sitting down with Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow.
As you said, the Israeli Prime Minister, for his part, he's going to be trying to accomplish a lot on this trip as well beyond listening to people
like President Biden who are going to try and nudge him towards a ceasefire deal.
The Israeli Prime Minister's speech, next hour, is going to be key, not only for his goal, as he said, to revive bipartisan support for Israel, you
know, one of the stated goals of his speech, but he's also going to be looking to a domestic political audience back home in Israel, which is
watching his speech very closely to see where he stands on the ceasefire.
But he will also be looking at this as an opportunity to boost his political standing in Israel as well. It will be interesting to see how he
tackles that.
And then lastly, there is, of course, this issue that you mentioned, as it relates to Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Trump, who
Netanyahu will also be meeting with early on Friday morning.
And so the meeting that Netanyahu will be having both later tomorrow with Vice President Harris and on Friday morning with former President Trump is
also going to be key for Netanyahu to determine what comes next and what does that mean for U.S. policy towards Israel, whether Trump becomes the
next president, whether Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the next president.
[13:10:09]
Netanyahu is someone who keeps a very, very close eye on U.S. politics and he will, no doubt, be looking to gauge what could potentially come next
after President Biden.
ASHER: Jeremy, stand by. Oren, let me bring you in. Jeremy touched on an important point and that is this idea that Prime Minister Netanyahu, one of
his goals is of course going to be to try to revive bipartisan support for Israel's war in Gaza. That is not an easy thing to do, especially when you
look at the landscape here.
How does he do that?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, first it depends on the tone he strikes. He said he would try to strike a more bipartisan tone. His
last speech on March 3rd, 2015, was viewed as much more overtly political.
First it came right before, two weeks before, an Israeli election in which he was vying. And it was also largely, or in large part, an attack on the
Iran nuclear deal and therefore an attack on then-President Barack Obama.
So, first, avoiding that, avoiding that kind of lens would certainly keep this more bipartisan. And that would be a big part of what we're watching
for. What is the language he uses? Is there, whether an explicit or sort of implicit attack on policy? Does he try to get into the weapons pause? There
are still 2,000 pound bombs paused from the Biden administration. Does he attack the White House for that? Those are the sorts of elements we'll be
looking for.
And I was reminded of one famous quip from Henry Kissinger about Israel. He said, Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic politics.
So of course, we're also looking at it from that angle, that for Netanyahu is struggling to hold this coalition together and whose popularity is
incredibly low in Israel, there is a domestic politics angle to this, as he tries not only to shore up support from both parties.
And it is worth noting that when it came to the supplemental past several months ago that included billions for Israel, that had overwhelming
bipartisan support.
So there is that there, but clearly, a large number of Democrats skipping this speech, some boycotting this speech. So we'll certainly look at
Netanyahu's language. And then, of course, the follow on reactions to it.
The only other point I'll make is that in meeting Joe Biden, in meeting Kamala Harris, in meeting Donald Trump, Netanyahu is trying to make sure he
covers all of his bases and prepares himself for whatever comes after November.
ASHER: All right. Oren Liebermann, Jeremy Diamond, live for us there, thank you both.
All right. Let's get more now on the U.S. political implications of Netanyahu's appearance on Capitol Hill.
I'm joined now by CNN's Jim Sciutto.
Jim, Netanyahu is battling it on multiple fronts. Of course, there is international outrage over the war in Gaza. A lot of people in the United
States as well appalled by the level and the scale of the suffering we're seeing in Gaza right now.
There is frustration among the family members of Israeli hostages that Netanyahu isn't doing more to bring the hostages home.
And on top of that, a lot of people in the United States who might support Israel and Israel's right to defend itself, but who have an issue with
Netanyahu himself.
We believe that Netanyahu is conducting this war and acting in his own self-interest.
Just talk to us about what Netanyahu is dealing with as he goes into this speech in 45 minutes.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Listen, he comes to the U.S. at a time when there are deep divisions in his own country, according to public polling, perhaps
two-thirds of the country wants him to leave office. They want a new leader because of the divisions you described there, including a whole host of
internal criticism over his continued failure to bring those hostages home. And there's still more than 100. They are held by Hamas.
But, of course, you have deep political divisions in this country as regards Israel. And that's why you have some 80, at least, House members
who will not be attending his speech.
At least nine U.S. senators, Democrats, who will not be attending, including some of those House members who are Jewish members, not attending
as a protest against his leadership.
And, of course, Kamala Harris, now the presumptive democratic nominee who normally, as vice president, would preside over a -- an address such as
this one, will not be present as well.
That gives you a sign of the divisions in this country over the view of the current Israeli leadership.
And I think then you get another measure of that. Just watching that press conference or rather statements a short time ago with the Republican
Speaker of the House Johnson alongside Netanyahu.
You heard Johnson mentioned, of course, the horrible attacks of October 7th. He made a biblical reference. He did not mention the tens of thousands
of civilian casualties in Gaza, which is what's driving a lot of the criticism among the Democratic Party here of the Israeli leaders --
leadership.
And I should note that Vice President Kamala Harris and presumptive presidential nominee -- presumptive presidential nominee, Kamala Harris,
was one of the first senior political figures in this country to speak publicly about the degree of civilian losses in Gaza.
[13:15:10]
ASHER: Is it possible, Jim, for Netanyahu to shore up bipartisan support, especially when you think about the fact that it's mostly going to be a GOP
audience. And also the fact that there are so many democratic lawmakers who have decided to boycott today's speech, especially some high-profile names
like Nancy Pelosi?
SCIUTTO: Yes. It's hard to see how he builds up strong bipartisan support in this country. Support for Israel is bipartisan. And we should note that
the invitation to speak, did not only come from the Republican House Speaker, but also from the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer. So this
was a bipartisan invitation to the Israeli leader.
That said, that support in the Democratic Party does not run across the board as is evidenced by the number of many dozens of democratic members
who won't be there for the speech today.
Listen, any Israeli leader is going to have to have a close relationship with a U.S. president of whatever party, but it has been Netanyahu's
approach, for a number of years, to drift closer to the Republican Party.
And remember this did not begin yesterday. Certainly does not begin with Harris. It goes back to Barack Obama when their divisions were quite
public, including U.S. support for a resolution in the U.N., as he was leaving office against Israeli policies, which of course caused tremendous
reaction there.
So this is -- those divisions that didn't begin yesterday, but I think it's safe to say that they have grown, and they have grown particularly with the
conduct of the war in Gaza following the October 7th attacks. And just that awful, awful human toll in Gaza.
ASHER: All right. Forty thousand Palestinians killed according to Gaza's military health.
Jim Sciutto, we have to leave it there. I know you're going to be standing by for us because we are going to see you --
SCIUTTO: That's right.
ASHER: -- in about 20 minutes from now. You've got special coverage on the Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of Congress.
All right. Still to come, protesters aren't the only one taking issue with the Israeli Prime Minister's speech. We'll look at why nearly 50 Democrats
do not plan to be there either.
We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Israel's Prime Minister is poised to address the U.S. Congress in about 40 minutes from now.
The centerpiece of a high stakes and controversial trip to Washington. Netanyahu is expected to face protests when he arrives ahead of his speech,
which dozens of prominent Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have said that they will skip as the party remains divided over his
handling of the war in Gaza.
[13:20:18]
Mr. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday and former President Donald Trump on Friday.
Let's bring in CNN -- let's bring in Larry Sabato, joining us live now. He's the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Larry, I accidentally just made you an employee. Thank you so much for being with us.
Just talk us through the challenges of Netanyahu's speech today. I mean, especially the fact that when you look at what has happened in the United
States, over the past two weeks. I mean, it's unbelievable how drastically different the landscape is.
We have a new Democrat at the top of that party to get with Kamala Harris being the presumptive Democratic nominee. And we also have a former
president that got shot and survived an assassination attempt.
How much -- just in terms of the priorities of ordinary Americans, how much is what is happening in Israel still a priority, especially when you think
about the fact that the U.S. political landscape has changed so drastically over the past 10 days?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: This is still a priority, certainly, for Jewish-Americans and Palestinian-
Americans, probably less so for the general population. Maybe with the exception of young people, 18 to 24, 18 to 29.
They have been especially focused on what's happening there and their own views on it, which tend to be war, pro-Gazan and pro-Palestinian.
You know, for Prime Minister Netanyahu, he'll be speaking to a friendly crowd for the most part because those who aren't friendly are going.
Now, some Democrats are attending reluctantly. They're attending because they support Israel, not really because they support Netanyahu.
It's well known in American circles and political circles in Israel that Netanyahu, very probably, wants Trump to win. So that makes him a little
less popular in democratic circles.
And there's a -- there's a great division about the number of civilian deaths occurring in Gaza.
And, by the way, Vice President Harris has been often singularly, within the Biden administration, speaking up on that very issue within private
administration meetings.
I think she did the right thing in not attending the speech. She had a good reason. She already had something set up that's important for her campaign.
And she'll be meeting with Netanyahu tomorrow in an individual meeting. She'll meet with him separately from Biden.
Of course, where is Netanyahu going after the meetings with Biden and Harris? He's going to Mar-a-Lago to see Donald Trump.
So this has become very much an American political issue with the political people, with those who eat and breathe and sleep politics. The general
population less so, but it's very much on the minds of those in politics.
ASHER: And speaking of where Kamala Harris is right now, just about 30 or so minutes ago, we were actually showing live pictures of her in
Indianapolis. She was speaking at event to sort of shore up support among black voters, the sorority event in Indianapolis.
And what I think, you know, it's important for our audience to remember is that black voters were crucial to delivering the White House to President
Biden just four years ago.
In terms of Kamala Harris and, you know, just the enthusiasm that we've seen over the past four days, I mean, it has been unprecedented.
You think about from Sunday to Monday, she raised about $100 million. And by the way, 62 of them were people who were donating to a political
campaign for the very first time. That is noteworthy. Sixty-two percent of them.
SABATO: Yes, right. No, that's absolutely correct. And actually, they have done better than the money. They have gotten 58,000 or more people to
volunteer, agree to work for Kamala Harris. And in the end, people matter more than money. Believe it or not, at least in some elections.
Look, the new CNN poll shows very clearly that putting Kamala Harris in the place of Joe Biden has made a big difference in terms of increasing support
among women, among young people, but also, as you mentioned, blacks.
This is critical to the democratic chances for winning. And it has already boosted Harris and probably will boost her more as time goes on.
ASHER: There is an old saying in the political arena, and that is the fact that the best day for any sort of presidential candidate is the day that
they announce.
[12:25:09]
Obviously, as we talked about, there's been a lot of enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris.
But can she maintain that momentum, especially, Larry, when you consider the fact that the full sort of attacks from the Trump machine are yet to be
released at this point in time?
SABATO: All the days won't be like the first day or the second day or today. This has been an extraordinary period for Vice President Harris.
I have a hard time remembering when enthusiasm levels increased so much in so few days. But that's a measure of how much relief Democrats feel and how
much hope they now have that they can stop Donald Trump from getting a second term.
Well, will there be worse days? You know, is the Pope Catholic? Yes, there will be worse days -- worse days.
But I think it's pretty clear that she is in a better position to deal with them. And she is able --
ASHER: Right. Right.
SABATO: -- as she does to (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) against Donald Trump.
ASHER: OK. Larry, we have to leave it there. Always good to see you, my friend. Thank you so much.
And thank you at home for watching this very special edition of ONE WORLD. We're going to take a quick break. And then Jim Sciutto and Paula Newton
will have our special coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of Congress after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
